Julie Harrington CEO of Guts UK Charity explains the growing significance of the awards
‘The Dr Falk/Guts UK Awards is one of the absolute highlights of our charity year. It is real privilege to be able to be there as these talented and hardworking medical students and young doctors collect their awards, to witness their pride and the growing realisation that they have achieved something really special’.
‘It is also terrific to be able to honour the truly inspirational and innovative work carried out by the winners of the nurse and dietitian awards – health care professionals who are often the unsung heroes of the NHS’.
‘Year on year the awards are growing in prestige and we are incredibly grateful to Dr Falk Pharma UK for their steadfast support and input into the entire process. This year as always, the ceremony was attended by many eminent clinicians from the specialties of gastroenterology, hepatology and pancreatology. They share their time with such generosity, providing great inspiration to the winners, encouraging them and giving them vital pointers on opportunities for future advancement within these specialities’.
‘After all that is really what the awards are all about. Supporting those already on the career ladder and increasing the next generation’s appetite , acknowledging their talents and providing a forum in which they can network, with the sincere hope that they chose a career within gastroenterology, hepatology and pancreatology’.
‘There has never been a better time to do so. Although gastroenterology is actually quite a young speciality (only recognised by the Royal College of Physicians in 1969) due in no small part to the foresight and efforts of the British Society of Gastroenterology it has been transformed it into one of the most fast moving and – dare we say it – hottest areas of medicine’.
‘Everywhere you look, on TV, in newspapers and magazine and on the internets are articles about probiotics, the microbiome, the link between the gut and the brain, IBS, IBD – the list goes on. Finally, after years of ignoring their guts, the public have now woken up to the fact that it is one of the most important organs of the body’.
‘We are proud to say that, although we are a small charity, we at Guts UK have played some significant part in this awakening, whether through funding research, supporting clinicians and scientists or providing information and education to the those suffering from the gut liver and pancreatic conditions and diseases’.
‘The awards are now in their 13th year and each year the entry numbers grow in every category. We are especially gratified that many of the previous winners have stayed in the specialty and gone on to great things. Looking at the current crop of fantastic winners, we believe that this year will be no different.’